Woods, who finished tied for fourth in the Masters last week, officially entered the tournament, which will take place at the Pebble Beach Golf Links June 17-20. After his disappointing finish at Augusta, Woods indicated he would take time off before playing again. While the U.S. Open is the next major on the PGA circuit, there are several big golf tournaments between now and then.

Pete Kowalski, a spokesman for the United States Golf Association, confirmed Woods' entry in an e-mail first reported by the Monterey Herald of Monterey, California.

Woods has won three U.S. Opens, with his first coming in 2000 at the course in Pebble Beach, California. He also claimed the title in 2002 at Bethpage State Park in New York and in 2008 at Torrey Pines Golf Course near San Diego. Unlike the Masters, the U.S. Open rotates venues each year.

Tiger Woods in Pictures

Woods has won 14 major championships, four shy of Jack Nicklaus’s record.

Woods, 34, dropped out of sight following a Nov. 27 car accident that ignited a sex scandal. He later resurfaced saying he had been in treatment and hoped to save his marriage.

Among the tournaments Woods could play before the U.S. Open are the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte April 29-May 2, which he won in 2007; the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, May 6-9, which has a $9.5 million purse, the biggest in golf; and the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, June 3-6.